Choosing a desk
You spend hours at your desk, so it’s worth getting the design and dimensions right. If possible try it out along with the chair you are going to use, and check the following things:
• Under your desk, there should be space for your legs to move around freely without hitting the desk’s legs or drawer units.
• Your thighs should rest parallel to the floor without touching any corners or drawers.
• Check the desk height – can you comfortably rest your forearms on the desktop? If the desk is too low you will hunch forward resulting in pain from sustained poor posture. If it’s too high, you will overuse your shoulder lifting muscles – resulting in stiffness and tension. Some desks are height adjustable, and you can also adjust the height of your chair to alleviate this.
• Is there enough space for your computer and peripherals, telephone, papers, pens and so on? You should be able to reach everything you use regularly without stretching. But don’t clutter your desktop with anything you don’t use on a constant basis. Standing to fetch things on occasion gives your body a chance to stretch and change position.
• Check that the design of the desk suits your potential use of it. There are many different shapes to suit right and left-handers, with space at hand to write things down without having to twist away from your computer screen.